On Monday, January 11, 2016 the US Supreme Court (USS Ct.) heard oral arguments in
Friedrichs v. CTA. Rebecca Friedrichs is a third grade public school teacher in the State of California. She claims that mandatory Union dues violate her First Amendments Rights. Mrs. Friedrichs sustains that she should not be forced to pay Union dues which subsidize Union interests and ideas with to which she does not agree. The questions asked by the Justices during the oral argument seem to imply that the majority agrees with Mrs. Friedrichs that to force her to pay Union dues violates her First Amendment Rights.
This case deals with a public teacher, who is a government employee. However, should USS Ct. Rule in favor of Friedrichs it is yet to be seen what impact, if any that reasoning will have on private sector Unions. There is ample Supreme Court case law sustaining the legality of the dues requirement in the private sector. The Supreme Court has reiterated it to be a financial issue and thus the issue has survived legal challenges.
As always, we will keep you informed of the development of this very important issue regarding Union dues and the First Amendment of the USA Constitution.
|